The Fish-Call-Fisherman System
by Alomenu Samuel
The fishing industry is growing. Gone are the days where all you needed was a line and hook and a little bait tied to the end to lure the fish to your catch. Today, fishing in the 21st century has been optimized with highly sophisticated gadgets.
In Africa, there has been a innovation by an enterprising individual by the name of Pascal Katana. He designed a device known as the "fish-call-fisherman system". The fish-call system is an electronic device that helps automate fishing. The trap employs amplification of the sound made by fish while feeding. The acoustic signals are radiated and attract other fish who head toward the direction of the sound, thinking there is food there. Once a good catch is detected by a net weighing mechanism, it triggers a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) device attached and the fisherman gets a call or Short Message Service (SMS) text message informing him that his catch is ready. To prevent over-fishing a development of a by-control system is being put in place.
There are many other technologies that optimize fishing but come at a very expensive cost plus they require training before they can ever be used by a local fisherman. Some examples of this are the Maptech i3 systems. These systems are made up of satellite signal receivers and touch screen systems that both send and receive the fish feeding acoustic sound signals. Meaning they help lure fish to your catch and also tell you exactly where to find a school of fish feeding. They go further to display the location of the fish on a 3D map system. The Maptech i3 technology has sleek, sophisticated technology even a voice command prompt that gives you the opportunity to control certain features like zoom, pan, call up charts, switch to sonar, radar, or split screen with a chart, and a host of other basic navigation functions. The Maptech i3 fish finder is sophisticated indeed but it comes at an average cost of $13,000 US. Yes, this is for highly sophisticated, wealthier fishermen.
The magazine Sport Fishing will give you more details about the price: http://www.sportfishingmag.com/electronics/electronic-products/maptech-i3-chartplotter-with-voice-control-43071.html
Another example of these sophisticated fish finding gadgets is the Fishfinder 997c SI combo with side imaging. This fishing gadget is just as good as competes with the Maptech i3 although the Maptech i3 is more sophisticated. The 997c SI combo gives you to access to contours, maps and 3D functions plus it has sonar technology to help optimize your fishing. It comes at a price of approximately $1,600 US. The Fish Finder site will give you more details: http://www.thefind.com/sports/info-3d-fishfinder
Although these other technologies have world class features, the fish-call system stands unique, all you have to do to get your catch:
1. Place the fish-call system in a location.
2. The device lures the fish to the location.
3. You receive a call or SMS message saying "Your catch is ready boss".
Now that is simple and yet very efficient as compared to the other technologies where you may need extensive training plus a manual to go through now and then. The fish call system is estimated to cost approximately $500 US, and yet it is simple and efficient. It does the job for the local fisherman.
Mr. Katana, the innovator of this device is a native of Perani, a town in the coastal part of Kenya. He's a fourth year electrical engineering student at the University of Nairobi. Presently he is working on a project to, as the saying goes, help the world go green.
Below is a picture of Pascal Katana with a prototype of the fish-call-fisherman system.
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